The present invention is an apparatus for embedding digital information within a document substrate and displaying that information via the substrate. It has long been desirable to capture, in electronic format the image found on the printed page. To facilitate this need, many organizations use image scanners and optical character recognition devices. However, scanning or digitizing a document image can be quite difficult, particularly when one seeks to accurately redisplay such an image or to modify it.
It is known, as demonstrated by companies such as E Ink Corporation, and Xerox' Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) that a thin, flexible substrate may be used to produce re-writeable images, in dual (e.g., black and white, blue and white) or multi-colored formats. However, the present invention is directed to the combination of such media or display technology with an embedded or associated data source so as to make the combination useful—taking the display technology from a mere novelty to a practical and time-saving device in accordance with the various embodiments described herein.
As is suggested herein, it is possible to store and access information associated with a substrate that also displays all or portions of the stored information. For example, display means such as e-ink, electric paper, gyricons, etc. may be used to produce a “book-on-a-chip” or similar display device. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to traditional paper substrates, and may include textiles and fabrics such as clothing, where a user might be able to wear the substrate as a T-shirt or a “baseball cap” and where the information or appearance of the cloth substrate could change. Other applications as will be described herein include wall coverings and “e-paintings” that are mat-able, placemats, etc.
As will be appreciated by those familiar with the new display techniques, the advantage of re-writeable substrate materials, combined with a tailored information source (content including text, images, etc.) is that a user then has a portable system by which the information may be accessed. Furthermore, such a system may make it easier for a user to become accustomed to reading a “book” using this new technology.
Heretofore, other patents and publications have disclosed the embedding of information, the relevant portions of which may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,407 to Weiner teaches a means of embedding memory into a book and then searching a microchip or other memory using a common connector. If this system were to come into vogue then copiers and printers could output to that type of memory and connector, and take advantage of an installed base of users.
Xerox Corporation announced in 1998 an “electronic staple” that holds the URL address of one or more pages on the Internet that relate to the printed page. Similarly, electric paper described by Sheridan et al., and an alternative invention by MIT Media Lab (E-Ink) disclose mechanisms for dynamically displaying information on a flexible substrate. These pages can be imaged electronically and have a variety of advantages and differences from ordinary paper that is taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,708,525, 5,751,268, 5,914,805 and 6,055,091 assigned to Xerox Corporation, and as also described by J. Jacobson et al. in various papers and patents prepared on electronic paper, electronic books and “e-ink,” Including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,017,584, 6,124,851 and publication WO 00/67110.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate for the electronic display of information, comprising: a digital recording medium associated therewith, where information may be stored by the digital recording medium attached to the substrate; and an updateable substrate display located on an exposed surface of the substrate, wherein said substrate display includes a display medium capable of selectively displaying one of at least two possible colors at each pixel location thereon; where the substrate display changes state in response to a signal generated from information stored in the digital recording medium.
One aspect of the invention is based on the recognition of an opportunity for the use of new technologies in association with conventional goods. In particular, the development of flexible-substrate displays, and small, embeddable memory devices allows the novel combination of the two to provide improved uses thereof, including consumer goods, packaging, information sources, etc.
The present invention is advantageous because it can be produced inexpensively and is reusable, compared to other approaches, providing a way in which to display information or to alter the appearance of goods using the flexible-substrate displays. The invention can be adapted to any of a number of consumer goods and applications. The techniques of the invention are advantageous because they provide a range of alternatives, each of which is useful in appropriate situations. Some of the techniques can be used to modify or alter the appearance of goods, or information displayed thereon, in response to a user's request.
The present inventions will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the inventions to the embodiment described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the inventions as defined by the appended claims.